Connecting-coupling for extensible conveyers and receptacles.



W. LENNON. GONNECTING GOUPLINGFOR BXTENSIBLE OONVEYERS AND REGEPTAGLES,

APPLICATION FILED D5122, 1909.

Patented NOV. 29, 19 10.

J /3 f -M2lam Lenn n A TTORNEY.

UNKTED- STAT PATET FFKCE.

WILLIAM LENNON, OF MANITOU, COLORADO.

CONNECTING-COUPLING FORJEXTENSIBLE CONVEYERS AND EECEPTACLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 29, 1910.

Application filed December 22, 1909. Serial No. 534,465.

. the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in connections of extensible conveyer or receptacle units of sheet metal or sheet fiber, used to form a trough shaped conveyer or receptacle, in which the units or sections are clamped together by means of bolts drawing or pulling the outer or under trou h or sheet against the outer or, under side 0 the inner or uppermost trough or'sheet to form a tight connection; and the objects of my invention are to provide a water tight union of the trough or rece tacle units, and to provide a form of troug units that can readily be disconnected or connected into a conveyer or receptacle, and when disconnected can be conveniently nested for transportation. I attain these objects by means of the appliances illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l, is a'detailed side elevation of the supporting bracket 1; Fig. 2, is an under side view of the supporting bracket 1;,

Fig. 3, is an end elevation of the left end of Fig, 1; Fig. 4, is a side elevation of the inner bracket a; Fig. 5, is an inside elevation of the left side of the bracket a, shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6, is a side elevation of the bracket 3, as shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 7, is an outside elevation of bracket 3, showing the left side of Fig. 6; Fig. 8, is a diagrammatical view of the top part of one edge of the connection of two of the conveyor units as formed of corru ated sheet metal units as connected by the rackets 3 and a; Fig. 9,.is an end view of the conveyer showing the connection when made with fiat sheets of metal or fiber, and curved to about half of "Su porting-brackets 1, andinside brackets 4;

.Flg. 10, is a top view of the left edge of the conveyer made of corrugated sheet metal or sheet fiber, units, showing the connection "jmjade'by lapping the corrugation of the injner sheet'or trough unit into the correspond .ing corrugation of the under or outer sheet "of: corrugated metal or fiber trough and showing the corrugations lapped in theop- 4 removed; Fig. 13, is an end view of a part of the conveyor made of corrugated sheet metal units, as shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 14, is a sectional view of the bracket a, on the line AB of Figs. 4 and 5, showing the concavity of same.

Similar figures and letters refer to similar parts throu bout the several views.

The trough-s'iaped sheets or units of metal or fiber, with the two inner and two outer brackets, form the principal partofmy in vention. These troughs may be formed into troughs of more or less than a half circle, but not into a complete circle.

In Fig. 9, the troughs 10 and 11 are composed of plain flat sheet units of metal or fiber, showing the inside brackets 4, 4, fastened thereon by means of rivets or bolts 14, 14, and supportin brackets 1, 1, rigidly attached to the outsid eitrou'gh 11, by means of rivets 14, 14. In tightening the bolts 13, 13, the brackets 1 and 4, are drawn toward each other, thus forcing the units 10 and 11, rig-idly against each other so as to form a tight joint. The supporting bracket 1, is to be usedwhere the conveyor or receptacle is to be supported on frames or other suitable supports, but when itis not necessary to have the extending ends 18, 18 then a bracket similar to outside bracket 3, with a short lug 15, suitable to engage the bolts 13, 13, may be used and when it is necessary for auxiliary supports, the hanger bracket- 12, of Fig. 11, will be used.

For conveying of water and other liquids I use the corrugated sheet metal as shown in Fig. 8, and in Fig.'10, with the same manner of fastening as shown in Fig. 9, with the following exceptions, to wit:The brackets used have the bracket shanks 16, 16, provided with a concave or a convex surface presented to the corrugated units, suitable to fit the corresponding curve of the respective corrugation with which it comes into contact; that is, a concave surface on a unit is to be fitted by a convex surface on a bracket, and a convex surface on a. unit is to be fitted by a concave unit on a bracket as at the seam, stiffer and less liable to crimp under the great pressure used in forcing the units against each other in making a tight joint. This corrugated method I use when practicable. Another advantage in having the units corrugated is to prevent the several units from slipping upon each other longi tudinal'l and at the same time provide a means or compensating the swelling and shrinking longitudinally from variances of temperature and other causes, without permanently rupturing the conveyer or receptacle. The holes 17, 17, rovided for the bolts 13, 13, are elongated engthwise of the bracket lugs, 15, 15, so as to provide for the miss-matching in the union of the joint of two troughs or units of the conveyer or receptacle.

The inside corrugated unit 6, and the outside corrugated un1t'7, of Fig. 8, illustrate the mode of forming a connection joint with the convex surface of the corrugation on the inside of the conveyer; and the inside corrugated unit 8, and the outside corrugated unit 9, of Fig. 10, illustrate the manner of forming a connection joint with the concave surface of the corrugation on the inside of the trough or conveyer receptacle. In Fig. 10, is also shown the top of a section of the bracket shown in Fig. 5. These units are qonstructed so that a trough unit ma fit inside of its mate at one end and outsi e of its unate at the reverse end or so that it may fit inside or outside of its mate at both ends, and by means of the elongated holes 17 17, will match to accommodate the bolts 13, 13.

Where the hanger bracket 12, is used at a connection joint of either the plain or the corrugated units, the supporting brackets 1, 1, may be omitted, as the extended ends 23, 23, have elongated holes to receive the bolts, 13, 13.

Some ofthe advantages of this form of aconveyer or receptacle in units, are its easy adjustment to curves and angles, the facility with which it can be taken apart and reassembled and also the facility with which it can be nested for compact and safe transportation whether it be formed of plain or corrugated metal or of plain or corrugated fiber sheets or troughs.

The designating numeral 21in Fig. 13, indicates the outer surface of the inner unit 6, and 22 indicates the inner surface of the outer unit 7, of a corrugated set of units, which designated surfaces are to be forced together to make a tight joint.

It is not my purpose to confine the use of this conveyer to conveying li uids only, but it may be used on conveyers 0 grain, bricks, stone, sand, and other materials, moved by gravitation and inertia.

When materials other than liquids are to be conveyed, I use the plain or non-corrugated form of units, placing the lower end of a unit on the inside of the upper end of the next unit below it in succession in the course to be traveled by the article to be conveyed, so as to form a non-obstructed joint.

The brackets used on corrugated joints are those having the contact surface of the shank v 16, concave, as in a in Fig. 4-, and Fig. 5, and Fig. 8; and convex asshown 1n 5 111 Fig. 10.

F r the purpose of making a closer joint,

the outer surface, as shown in 20 of unit or trough 8, may be made less acute or less convex than the interior of the concavity of the inner surface of the matching corrugation 19, of trough or unit, 9 and the same principle applies in Fig. 8, where theconvex surface 22 of trough or unit 7, may be less acute than. the concave surface 21 of its matching corrugation and for the purpose of having the spring of the metal to assist in making a more perfect joint.

Where a very tight joint is required, some form of sheet packing or asket may be used between the surfaces of the units.

I further wish it understood, that all as set forth in this specification and illustratedin the accompanying drawings, shall apply to all such formin a conveyerof less than a complete circle, an whether the units are rectangular or curved.

I further wish to convey that the coupl1ngs,fasten1ngs and forms herein described as being used on corrugated units, are to be considered as to be used also on plain sheetmetal units, and on units of other materials as Wood or fiber units, my objects being to secure. by Letters Patent the rights for the principles involved in the various couplings or joints of the various units shown to form a conveyer or rece tacle.

Where I have esignated the brackets to be fastened by means of rivets to the various units, I wish also to be allowed to use'bolts where nature may require.

I am aware t at prior to my invention means has been employed to connect separate units to form conveyers. I therefore do not claim such a combination broadly, but

What I claim is 1. In a conveyer or receptacle consisting of a series of trough-like units, troughs each composed of a single sheet of metal corruof eacH lugflvhere fastened totheee'i'pugated sm-fziee' of the trough mnts beingl eenc'ave' 0; celiyex loxigit-u dil uil lytet fit the surface "units, brackets rigidly attached'te the-longh- 85 tu'dinal edge?) 'of szid units ntlf' the ends of. same in such t).""l lllz ll l'n lil'-"tlilj. t there \vill be on opposite .sidesef-xthe. ignion of the two s peetiye l lllil S hnd 'eix'tel lding above the edge ef the unlts'a'nd above and near to the lugs -"elung: tted holes in L-Jth the setsof lugs p1- 45 videel .to receive almlt a-l ra ged to draw the said pairs 'of .hlg's'i-towerd each other,

. substantiallyus forth.

- 4. 1n :1 C0llV0yel" 'O l leceptaele cbnneet'ibn for umts of sheet metal troughs, the C(illlbl" I 50 nation of two or more trough u'nits-of.eQ1"- sidesef the l'u-lils'near their respective euruers, lugs -15, [5, on szud brackets and 'exfinits near theirlespeeti ve e'ud's, lugs onsaid ikeuit s, trough; units A gether, all'substuntially as stfeiith a d fee 1prising fa; series 0f on the heaekets oh the outer or .llllttetf ullits,"

unit's,.'hlgs oty th'e miter brackets extending.

ruginteil sheebme'lzjpl, brackelsl iveted tn the;

each (if thehlgs 15am} dppgis'it eaehother, a damping bolt 13 PlOiflded to extendsurfaces respectively of thecor r ugnte d sur- -a 1 'e' att: 1c1 1ed-, all's bstant'ixplly fiS' -S LffO'I'th.

5. .1'11 :1 cpnjveyee or receptacle; tot-med of units of sheet metal or hbelg a connection 01' luiit tewu dthe edges- '-.-;hle1 of the under .l llljhtellth ha'vihg lugs: 23 at -1ts upper extremities extemhng euta'rdly beneath and paral'lehtd-lhehrm-ket lugs 15',

tending outwaid'ly parallel'to eaeh'other butj not close enough tQ much eachbtheh-the big. on the inner bracket beingfabove the lug-0n" f I the outerbracket,-'an "elon'gatedhole 1T;v i' I1.

through sairl elon geted holes .17, andI-to drew sai d' lugs 15, 15} toward ez'leh' other, eon :IVQ'Oi eoliy'ex'faces '1'espe(iti\'ely (m. thepart of said, bra'clfets attached to. the. metal. lunits suitabl'eto fit the eon'vex plicbnc'mfe' ni'liu'u-juhit consisting of the combination of 'two' nmte'hing ilmitshims vemely corrugated near their respect-lyejiljteehlppi gfends and provided 1%)" as t'g)finterloek 0ne .{\\'lth :the 1 3 other, a bitielgehghjt'tuehed atthei top -edge-.: v

faces .of. the -r -speetive I units to which they elongated holes hi said lugs 23mm] hlgs If! 

